The Vines
by x01
Summary: Rin hasn't seen Sesshomaru in years, and now that shes 21 and all alone, what happens when he randomly appears back in her life? RinxSess SesshomaruxRin
1. Chapter 1

The vines

The sun had finally risen in Feudal japan, and as usual, Rin had woken up well before the rooster had crowed. She stared aimlessly into the sunrise, and watched as the animals attempted to wake up. From the window beside her bed, she had a spectacular view of nature and all its glory.

She loved watching the trees sway from the wind, she loved to watch the clouds take form and float throughout the sky. She was forever fascinated with the way the birds flew and how nature was forever alive and moving.

However, although she had an immensely strong love of nature, the reason in which she looked out the window everyday was not to admire the world's gifts. Outside her window, was a small dirt path which was carefully hidden within the foliage of the woods. Humans rarely walked through there, for the forest connecting at the end wasn't exactly safe. Only one person used this path to reach mainland, and he for sure wasn't human.

Sesshomaru, demon dog lord of the western lands, would use this path whenever he came to visit Rin. Oh how her heart ached at the thought of her beloved lord. she had adored him from the very moment she laid eyes on him. Not once had she ever felt threatened by him, because unlike the rest of the world, she could see the good in him. she could tell that his intentions were always pure, and that his bright golden eyes were filled with longing, loneliness, pain, and pure misunderstanding. Rin wanted to be his cure. She wanted to be his crutch, his shoulder to lean on, the person he knew would forever be by his side. Although she had been just a child, she knew that her feelings towards this great youkai was not that of a child's, but one of pure love towards a significant other.

She tried to do as much as she could for him. She always tried to prove her usefulness and emphasize how she would be forever by his side. But alas, it would seem fate would not have it as such.

once Naraku had been defeated, Sesshomaru had decided it was time Rin lived a normal human life. Oh how she cried as he left her at Kaede's doorstep that fateful evening, but he assured her it was for the best, and that he would visit her every so often.

at first, it seemed like Lord Sesshomaru would keep to his word. He would visit her at least once a month with a gift. he would give her a nod of approval every time he saw that she had progressed in her training with Kaede, and then he would disappear.

Soon, however, the visits became less frequent. Sometimes he wouldn't even stop by to visit, he would just leave a gift at the door step. " I'm sure he's just busy" Kaede's would say "I bet he would love to see you, but running the western lands can't be an easy task my dear."

When Kaede passed, Rin had never felt so alone in her life. She cried and begged for her lord to return to her, but her prayers were left unanswered. She was 21, and it had been a good five years since she had received a gift for him. The last image she had in her head of him, was when she was 13 years old.

She had just finished showing him how she could successfully make a healing agent, when she managed to look up in time to see him heading out the door. She knew better than to cry, begging and tears would do nothing to keep him from leaving.

His tall figure was in the doorway. His long silver hair swayed with the breeze as well as the fox demon fur he had on his kimono. The empty sleeve of his lost arm moved with the wind as well, and the sun shined brightly through the cracks which were not blocked by his immense form. He placed his hand on the door frame and slowly looked back at her. His eyes were filled with pride and sadness as he stared into her dark brown eyes.

Rin could feel the tears swelling at the corner of her eyes, and had to remind herself to breathe as she stared at him. He slowly nodded and gave her one last good look before disappearing into the sun. For some reason, she had known it was a good bye. none of his stares had ever been so intense. but she was too reluctant to admit it, and even now she fought against the thought.

sighing to herself, Rin finally managed to pull herself out of bed and make something of her day. Today was the anniversary of Kaede's death, and she'd be damned if she allowed the day to pass without visiting her grave. She neatly made her bed and reluctantly closed the blinds to her windows. Quickly stripped herself of her sleepwear and put on a white kimono with beautifully designed flowers on it. She then worked her way over to the bathroom, where she washed her face, cleaned her teeth, and did her hair. She split her dark black bangs into halves, and put her hair into a high ponytail. Rin quickly patted her hair back, and felt it reach the small of her back. Giving herself one last good look in the mirror, she gave herself a smile and quickly scurried out.

She grabbed the basket of flowers she had picked the night before from the table, as well as the orange resting beside it for breakfast purposes. Rin hurriedly locked the front door behind her, and took a deep breath as she stared into the risen sun. _Please, just let this be a good day. _

Sesshomaru was bored, annoyed, and tired. who would have thought being a demon lord would be so troublesome. his father had always made it seem so easy, and here he was, struggling not to kill everything in sight.

Sesshomaru flexed his claws as he continued to pretend to listen to two demon dogs arguing, "If you wouldn't have put your shit off MY land.-" "Your land?! You mean MY land.-" "ENOUGH".

Both male demons stopped in their tracks as they stared into the red eyes of a furious Sesshomaru. "You pitiful creatures have come to me to fix your little spat about land?! This is the issue you bring before me?!" Both demons took a step back as the young lord rose from his seat. "What have we demons come to? If you have a god damn problem about territory, fight it out like the demons you are!" he spat. "Don't come to me with this pussy bullshit. Fight it out, and remember at the end of the day, this land belongs to ME. Not you, ME."

The two males looked at each other before nodding, thanking the great lord, and immediately running out of Sesshomaru's temporary cave before the lord decided to kill them for their troubles.

"What Imbeciles!" Jaken screeched. "What wastes of air, space, and life! Demons of such low caliber should never be allowed to live, never the less to be in your presence!" Sesshomaru sighed and tuned out Jaken's usual rant on how great he was as a lord.

_When did demons become such pansies?_ he thought to himself. Back in his fathers day, the only politics in these lands consisted of

Inutaisho was ruler of the western lands

if you wanted to rule, you must defeat him

Disobey or question him? prepare to die.

But ow that Naraku was dead, pure blooded demons were dying out, and half breeds were becoming more common, everyone wanted to do things in a more humane or peaceful way.

".- demons these days just don't have any back bone! They've all turned onto their backs and given up on the old ways!"

_He's still talking?_ Sesshomaru raised his arm slightly and immediately silenced the annoying imp. Before Sesshomaru knew it, he found himself walking out into the forrest and onto the nearest dirt path. If it wasn't for these demons and their petty problems, there would be not a single dilemma in his life. He could live his days roaming the lands and just killing whenever he felt it was convenient.

That's all his father ever did. Eat, sleep, fight, and fuck. Of course, when Inutaisho had been with his mother, he had been faithful, but their marriage had been more of a political strategy rather than a 'love' kind of thing. So when his father found 'love' within that human woman Izayoi, he had no problem dissolving the marriage. He was the lord of the western lands already! Why worry about anyone else's feelings.

Word of the dissolved marriage spread quickly throughout the demon world, but nothing had done more damage than the fact that his father had truly left the marriage because he had fallen in love with a human princess. Sesshomaru's mother held her head up high with pride, while Sesshomaru couldn't help but feel resent towards the human woman for dishonoring his name. Even worst was when he had received news that the wench was with child.

A familiar scent which was traveling along the wind broke Sesshomaru's trance. It smelt lovely, like flowers and freshly cut fruits. Sesshomaru looked around as he continued walking, and realized he had walked straight into his favorite place, the grave yard.

He wasn't attracted to the place because there was pain and suffering there. He merely enjoyed the utterly quiet peace the place had to offer. He was about to jump onto his favorite branch when he noticed the scent again. Usually he would ignore it, but it seemed as if curiosity had won, and he followed the scent to a small open area.

_Foot steps?_ Rin was brought out of prayer as she realized someone was approaching from behind. She looked up into Kaede's marble tombstone and saw a large figure working their way towards her. As the footsteps got closer, she placed her hands on her knelt knees and sighed. _Probably Hugo offering some flowers._ And as she turned her body to look into her 'friends' face, she ended up staring into the golden eyes of her beloved; Sesshomaru.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey Guys! Sorry forgot to mention this, but I do NOT own Inuyasha in anyway shape or form. But the story at least is mine (: **

Chapter two:

Rin could feel her mouth drop open as she stared into her beloveds bright golden eyes. Clearly, demons did not age, because this demon appeared just as magnificent as he did before. His hair was split slightly in the middle, revealing the crescent shaped mark on his forehead and displaying the two marks along each side of his face. However, instead of his long silver mane being let free, it was tied in a loose ponytail down his back. Several pieces of hair had escaped his ponytail on each side of his face, they moved freely about in the wind, caressing each side of his flawless skin.

He had taken off the fox fur he always adorned, and instead of having his two swords sheathed at his sides, he had placed them both in an 'x' like formation on his back. The great lord appeared to be more muscular, with his neck a little more corded with muscle and clearly new, yet similar armor to replace the old ones.

His eyes held the same look in them as they had all those years before. Yet this time, he appeared much more tired. However, there was a spark in his eyes in which she had never seen before, "Rin."

_Beautiful_. There was no other way to describe the human who was knelt in front of him. God, as she rose to stand before him, he realized 'beautiful' did not adequately describe her. She was still quite small in comparison to him, no taller than 5 ft 4 at most. Her beautiful kimono hugged her curves nicely, as she possessed a beautiful hourglass figure with a wide set of hips. She had clearly developed quite well in the bosom area, as well as her back side. But what captivated him the most was her face.

She still had those same big brown eyes that always looked up at him with complete adoration and loyalty. Her hair had grown quite long, and her skin remained the same glowing color. Her lips had grown a bit fuller he noticed , as he also took not that they were quivering a tad. Rin's cheeks began to blush as he continued to closely examine her, and soon tears had begun to well at the corner of each eye. However, nothing threw him off more than what she did next.

She smiled. God, what a beautiful smile. It alone completely altered his mood from one of tension to utter Nirvana. "Sesshomaru...sama." her voice was melodic. It was soft yet, a little deeper than 's voice alone radiated peace and warmth.

It took all the strength and will power within him to stop himself from gawking at her. Never had a woman made such an impact on him before. Of course, he was attracted to women, he had his flings and good sets of one night stands, but none of them had captivated him in the way that she did.

Sesshomaru forced himself to focus and stared at the grave stone behind her. "It's Kaede's... it's her third anniversary." Sesshomaru did a slight bow to show his respect and straightened up to look back at Rin.

As soon as they made eye contact, she lurched herself at him and embraced him. He couldn't help but stiffen up as she held him closely and placed her face sideways on his chest. She said nothing as she held onto him. The wind sent a strong gust their way, causing their hair to wildly flutter. Her scent once again traveled to Sesshomaru's nose and he couldn't help but placed his nose right above her head.

She pushed herself back and looked up at him with a smile. "You're really here..." Sesshomaru simply looked at her. He had never really been in this position before. Sure, past women had always clung onto him and tried to babble to him on how 'great' they would be together, and he would usually respond with a nod, and then remind them that their clothes were still on. But for once in his life, Sesshomaru had a strange desire to pull her back into his chest and merely hold her.

Before he knew it, all the memories he had with her rose from a deep crevice which he had forgotten existed in his brain. He remembered how she always tried to look after him, how she would curl up on his fox fur at night. He recalled the look of excitement she had on her face when she caught her first fish, and the tears which had fallen down her cheeks the night she watched a village be destroyed by the flames of the jaguar demons. _Who would've thought..._ "Sesshomaru?"

_Is he...is he blushing?_ Rin couldn't believe her eyes as a slight pink tint arose on the cheeks of the great lord. However, the blush quickly faded and his emotionless facade once again reappeared. "Hm?" She looked down at her feet and placed her arms behind her back.

_Good Lord, it had been too long since she had basked in his presence, _she thought to herself as she shuffled her feet. "I know this is a little abrupt... and I'll understand if you don't want to! I mean, you have more important things to do than waste your time on little old me. I mean geez, you're lord of the western lands, and you must have so much on your plate, and here I am babbling away and." "Rin." She immediately looked up at him at the sound of his voice. Oh how she had missed that beautiful sound, especially when he spoke her name. He had quirked an eyebrow and had an amused look on his face. "Speak. Ask your question".

"Haha, right." She awkwardly laughed as she lifted her right arm to scratch her head. "Uhm.. I was wondering if.. you would like to join me for lunch at my place?" Goodness, how she wished she could break eye contact with him, but she feared he would disappear as soon as she looked elsewhere. At least if he left, she would have been gazing into her eyes. "I believe I can do that." **_VICTORY_**. She was about to throw herself into her arms until she realized he would probably never talk to her again if she did so.

However, she couldn't stop herself from smiling and grabbing his right hand. She continued to grin as she began to pull him away from the grave yard. She looked back and smiled at the young lord behind her, if only she could paint a picture of this moment.

The sun shined brightly behind him as the trees swayed and flower petals drifted along the wind. His hair flew wildly around his face, as the empty sleeve moved freely in the breeze. His eyes were filled with life and his side smile made her heart melt. But what captured her soul? The fact that for once, she wasn't the only one holding onto his hand, for although it was faint, he had finally lightly gripped hers.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi guys :3 Sorry for the wait! Once again, I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA, but the story is mine (:**

Chapter 3:

"Here we are!" Sesshomaru took a good look at the small little cabin they were about to enter. He took note of how perfectly located it was; right underneath two blossoming trees. Flowers were planted all around the yard, the animals ran about freely and in peace as the spring breeze swayed the earth.

Rin finally managed to open the door and stepped back, "After you my lord." He gave a small grunt and lowered his head as he walked thru the door. A small rounded table was placed in the center. Two small red knitted cushions were placed at either end. There was a cooking cauldron and fire place at the top left, and a small hallway which showed two doors facing each other on either wall. "Please! Take a seat my lord." He silently nodded and took a seat on the cushion at the opposite end , facing the door. Always had to be on the look out.

Sesshomaru took a deep breathe and basked in Rin's scent. God how he had missed her, giving her up had been a lot harder than he had thought it would. He realized something wasn't right after he almost failed in saving Rin's life for the second time. Never had he felt such fear or pain in his life. That day, he had felt as if his life had ended. Everything he had believed in, all his achievements and goals, had become meaningless. Life had become nothing but a waste as he had stared at her lifeless body.

When she took her first breathe of life again? He experienced a flood of emotions in which he had never experienced before. He felt relief, happiness, joy, hell maybe even 'love'. But what soon replaced those feelings? Fear. Fear because he had finally discovered his weakness; a human child. So when Kaede offered to take his weakness of his hands? He couldn't help but oblige.

Little did he know that he had lost himself as a whole as soon as he had handed her over. The world had turned black and white once again. Everything became twice as tedious, and it seemed like problems kept springing out of nowhere. He became so immersed in his work work and his duties, he no longer had time to go see her.

But he dreamed about her. God, did he dream. She had grown into a beautiful young woman, and he would slide open the front door of his home, and be welcomed in by her smile She would have a meal perfectly set on the table, would have prepared a bath for him. And as he laid his head on her lap to finally sleep, she would sing to him and play with his hair.

And every morning, when Sesshomaru awoke from his dream? He would want to punch himself in the face, several times. How could he, the great demon lord of the west, be thinking about a life with a wretched human?! One that he had raised none the less? Yet he still found himself dreaming, and no matter how hard he tried to forget , he never really could.

"Tea my lord?" "Yes, Thank you." a strand of hair fell to her face, and before he could stop himself, he lightly grasped the hair and tucked it behind her ear. She turned to look at him and blushed. He lightly cupped the side of her face and reveled in the feel of her skin. Rin lightly turned her face more into his hand, and gave him a warm smile. "I missed you." He blinked and immediately dropped his had. He turned his face away from her gaze and stared at the tea which had been poured into his cup.

He heard her sigh slightly before responding, " It's your favorite tea! I hope you haven't forgotten what it tastes like." He slightly nodded and brought the small white cup to his lips. _Delicious._ He felt Rin leave his side to sit across from him. He watched her closely under hooded lids as she quietly kneeled on her pillow and poured herself a cup. how she reached across he table and gently placed the tea kettle in the center with her small delicate hands. The look of frustration on her face when she noticed her kimono had wrinkled a tad. How she scrunched her nose and fused with it until she got it straight again.

She looked up at him and smiled, "So ... my lord. Please, tell me how life has been?" _Empty_ "The same. Boring and completely ridiculous." She silently nodded as she lifted the cup of tea to her lips. "Now Sesshomaru -sama, I'm sure something interesting must have happened!" She said as she took a sip of tea. "None at all unfortunately." He simply stated "Well, why don't you inform me of what I have missed since I last saw you Rin? I'm genuinely curious."

Her face completely lit up at his words as she placed the cup of tea on the table. "Are you sure you want to hear about my life?It's not all that entertaining." Sesshomaru fixed his position so that he was seated in a pretzel like position with his legs. he nodded and brought the tea up to his lips as she began to rant.

He listened of course. He was astounded to hear all that she had accomplished. She knew how to perform operations. She could tell just by looking at a plant that it was poisonous. Rin now knew how to pick the perfect camping spots, and how to make a meal out of anything.

He was genuinely proud of her, she had grown into a wonderful woman, but for some reason, a part of him was upset and irked. _I wasn't there_. He wasn't there to see her perform her first operation or prepare her first real meal. He wasn't there when she studied her plants or when she examined snake marks. And a part of him wanted to punch himself, how could he have left her?

Before either of them had realized, night had already dawned on them. The day animals had gone to sleep, and the nocturnal ones had come out to play. The sounds of owls and crickets rang thru the night. The night stars illuminated the sky as the sounds of rustling animals echoed. Lights of houses were finally being set aflame, and the sounds of humans returning home after a long day of work reminded Rin of just how much time had passed.

Her lit fire illuminated her small house, and the smell of rich wood burning filled the tiny living area. Rin had finally run out of things to say, and as she desperately wracked her mind to find something, her heart pounded wildly at his pending departure. _He's going to leave me..._ She wanted to scream and cry. To throw herself on top of him and to beg him to take her with him. She couldn't bare the thought of him leaving, she didn't know if she was strong enough to go through it again.

Sesshomaru couldn't help but smell the fear and desperation permeating from Rin's skin; it irked him beyond belief. " What ails you Rin?" She hesitated, and stared at the table beneath her. "You're going to leave me..." "Why of course. I can't stay here all day. I have important things to do." Rin's head shot up and she pegged him a good hard look with her eyes full of tears. " You're just gonna leave me again and forget all about me huh? Not visit me for another 10 years?!"

Sesshomaru actually flinched. Never had he expected her to respond to him in that way; no one ever had the guts to say anything to him to say the least, " Do I really mean so little to you? hm?" Oh how he wished he could break eye contact with her, but doing that would mean she had won the little scrabble they were having. He stared at her silently as the tears began to roll down her face. God, how it pained him to know he was the reason for her tears,"Rin, I-"

She slouched and stared back at the small rounded table. Never had the sound of tears hitting a hard surface sound so loud. "I'm sorry my lord... I apologize for how I spoke back to you... it's just..." She sniffled and wiped away a tear, "I've been so... empty without you."

He didn't know what to say, and he couldn't explain why his heart lurched at her words. Only one thing at this moment made sense, and he was guessing it was something instinctual. Sesshomaru stood up silently and began to work his way to the opposite end of the table. He watched as Rin remained silent, hands curled into fists as she silently cried at his leaving. He quietly knelt at her side and lifted her into his arm.

Rin placed her head on his shoulder and immediately put her arms around his neck to help him support her weight. She buried her face in his hair and remained silent as he brought her to her bedroom. He laid her gently on the small bed, and with her help, pulled back the covers. She slid herself in-between and pushed herself all the way to the far side. She looked up at him with pleading eyes, and Sesshomaru sighed as he slid in beside her.

He placed his back up on her head board, and he watched as Rin scooted herself over to him, placed her arm over his waist, and then placed her head on his lap. God, was she small. So very delicate and fragile, yet completely essential for his existence.

They both laid in silence for several minutes and bathed in each others presence, until Rin broke the silence, "Will you be here when I wake up?" Sesshomaru shook his head no, and he felt Rin hold on to him more tightly. "However... I will come visit you." He could feel Rin looking up at him. He could imagine how brightly her brown eyes glimmered in the moonlight and just how big her smile was. "Promise?Soon?" He looked down at her and almost felt the urge to... smile? _How preposterous _"Yes. I promise." Rin placed her head back down on his lap and released a peaceful sigh. And as Sesshomaru watched her fall asleep he wondered to himself, _since when do I make promises?_


End file.
